Ten Directions Sword Master

Lu Li felt a sudden tightness in his chest; this had struck a nerve.

He obtained the Five Wood Biochemical Sword Embryo and the true meaning of the Nether Phoenix Shadow Step in the Water Mansion Secret Realm, which, strictly speaking, are no less valuable than divine weapons.

The court's suspicions seem to be the work of petty people, completely unfounded, but only the person involved knows that he is not wronged at all.

"There are six officials of the fourth rank or above in the capital who came from the four academies. I took the lead in submitting a joint petition, strongly arguing that innocent people should not be falsely accused of theft... In this matter, you and the academy owe those people a debt."

Luo Xian's voice was low and deep. He had been contacting allies at a high intensity for several days, explaining the pros and cons. Even with his early stage of the Refining Spirit cultivation, he was somewhat exhausted.

"Please leave the list, Master Luo... I will definitely repay your kindness in the future."

Lu Li understood the subtext and readily agreed.

His adversaries, operating from the shadows, are exerting pressure from multiple angles, including having people within the imperial court, all in an attempt to crush him.

Ever since the incident at the Crimson Fire Secret Realm, the mask of kinship among the four Confucian academies has been torn off, and no one takes it seriously anymore.

Later, when Lu Li was studying at Shigu Academy, that same incident happened again, and their relationship quickly dropped to below freezing point.

This time, the reason they were able to stand up together was not only because Luo Xian had painstakingly persuaded them one by one, but also because they valued Lu Li personally, rather than Bailu Academy.

Regardless of what outsiders say, criticizing Lu Li's bleak future, everyone within the Four Academies knows that he is definitely the disciple with the greatest chance of breaking through to the Dharma Body realm.

If they hadn't been framed and plotted against, they wouldn't have even had the chance to receive investment.

These high-ranking officials did not come out of a desire to mend the rift between the four academies and Bailu Academy.

They will only feel at ease if they receive a verbal promise from the target.

"I'm so glad you're so understanding..."

Luo Xian smiled and said with satisfaction.

His understanding of Lu Li was limited to the written correspondence between him and his fellow disciples, as well as the comments given by the martial arts school.

My first impression of him should be that of an arrogant and talented swordsman, with his head held high.

Unexpectedly, after getting to know him, he turned out to be surprisingly gentle and refined, without a trace of youthful arrogance.

"However, the most important factor in calming the turmoil in the court this time was not us old folks, but the Lu family of Wu County."

Luo Xian looked at him strangely and said.

"The head of the Lu family personally wrote a letter, saying that you are upright and honest, and that you would never commit the evil act of killing fellow martial artists in order to seize treasures... He even revealed that his ancestor also held this view."

"With such an important figure speaking up, His Majesty naturally takes it seriously. Even your whereabouts were relayed to me by the Lu family. Besides their family, who else in the capital could be so well-informed as to have connections within the clan... They can't just treat you as a blood relative because you share the same surname, Lu."

Luo Xian's words were a joke, but to Lu Li they were the perfect words.

The head of the Lu family is a prominent figure in the world, second only to the old monsters on the Heavenly Ranking.

This move was tantamount to using the Lu family of Wu County as a guarantor for a Foundation Establishment junior, and even using the name of the Lu family's ancestor.

Without the permission of that Qin Demon, the head of the Lu family dared not act on his own.

To outsiders, it would seem that the Lu family valued talent and wanted to establish a good relationship with the person ranked second on the list.

He immediately realized that the Lu family had not given up on the idea of ​​him returning to his clan.

However, it must be admitted that with the involvement of the Lu family of Wu County, most of the difficulties in this matter have been resolved.

The imperial court would never go against the Lu family of Wu County because of a rumor.

As for those who are swayed by the rumors, and the masterminds who harbor malicious intentions, there are ways to deal with them.

As long as it's not an overwhelming force that leaves no room for maneuver, he can always trade time for space.

The activation time of the Nebula Compass was changed from 100 days to a year, which deprived Lu Li of the possibility of frequent leaps in progress. Otherwise, it would have been easier for those who viewed him with old eyes to suffer a great loss.

But he has reason to believe that the next harvest will far surpass the previous ones.

After two more trips to the Compass World, he will have the confidence to face most of the forces he currently antagonizes.

I have received a great favor from the Lu family, and I must find an opportunity to repay it in the future.

"Master Luo, does that mean I'll be fine going to Zhanghua Terrace to participate in the Gathering of Heroes?"

Lu Li would definitely not want to give up the Gathering of Heroes, and the Holy King's Golden Book was his biggest hope for making a breakthrough in a short period of time.

If he misses this opportunity, he will most likely have to spend two or three years, like Hengjing, before he can even glimpse the perfect unity of man and nature.

Heng Jing has Shaolin Temple as a backup plan, and Lu Li has the Seven Aperture Exquisite Sword Heart to introspect. If there is no external intervention, the two should be at similar progress.

Considering that Lu Li is only twenty-two years old, it doesn't seem unacceptable that it would take him three years to achieve perfect harmony between man and nature.

On the contrary, they will be the envy of all martial artists.

But with the Nebula Compass here, can he really handle the next three main quests with only his Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivation?

"Don't worry about the imperial court. Just be careful not to be ambushed... Don't think you can rest easy just because you're in the capital. From the warning of the great formation to its actual activation, it will take at least an incense stick's time... If a cultivator in the Refining Spirit Realm simply runs away and there's no one to stop them along the way, they'll have plenty of time to escape."

Luo Xian solemnly instructed them to prevent the hopes of Bailu Academy from being dashed by carelessness.

"Moreover, when the great formation is operating at full capacity, it consumes astronomical amounts of resources and draws precious human power every moment. Without an imperial decree, no one would dare to open it without authorization."

"That person was able to kill Lei Xiong so easily, he must be a martial artist who has reached the Divine Refinement stage... Don't underestimate the heroes of the world, and don't use common sense to judge the Seven Demonic Sects... Their style of doing things is very different from ours."

Lu Li suddenly realized that everyone thought the same thing, believing that the Seven Demonic Sects were behind it.

These words were meant to remind him that it was not easy for other sects to cultivate a Refining God, and each person had their own thoughts. Very few people would give up their lives for revenge.

A martial artist at the Refining Spirit Realm would be treated with respect wherever they go, holding a position of superiority. Why would they willingly become a death squad member?

Even among the five great families, there are very few assassins of this caliber.

However, some of the Seven Demonic Sects are different. Disciples who do not make progress in a month or break through in half a year will be eliminated, thus creating a batch of martial artists who can quickly reach the Refinement God Realm.

Just like the Taotie Sect, if they go all out and sacrifice the lives of half the city's warriors, a Refining God Realm cultivator can be born in just a few dozen days.

However, it is highly likely that this hastily produced product will die after a battle because it cannot control the violent true energy within its body and will explode.

If one's mind is bewitched and only the thought of killing Lu Li remains in one's mind, a martial artist who hastily reached the Refining Spirit Realm will not consider how to escape after succeeding.

A cultivator who is fearless of death and only thinks of exchanging one for one is far more terrifying than a normal cultivator.

Lu Li looked serious and bowed respectfully.

……

The preliminary rounds of the Heroes' Gathering determined seven winners. Combined with the five registered participants who made the top ten on the leaderboard, a total of twelve people were ultimately selected to go to Zhanghua Terrace.

In the public eye, the popularity of the Gathering of Heroes finally overshadowed the topics of Lu Li and the Human Emperor Sword.

Here, people began to realize that the rumors had no real evidence from beginning to end, only a trace of manipulation.

Meanwhile, an unseen force was at play behind the scenes, with many senior figures stepping forward to refute the rumors as baseless.

Even according to the most exaggerated claim about the Water Mansion Secret Realm, that it is the legacy of the Holy King's Soup, it still has nothing to do with the Human Emperor's Sword.

The last owner of the Human Emperor Sword in the medieval period was the Holy King Emperor, who personally slew down the twelve Demon Saints.

As a result, the Holy King Emperor was seriously injured and died. To commemorate this Holy King who made great contributions to the human race, the Human Emperor Sword was buried with him.

Thousands of years later, the Great Xia Dynasty reappeared under the rule of the descendants of the Holy King Emperor.

Similar comments swept the entire city, clearly indicating that someone was pulling the strings.

The final twelve were divided into three groups, with the top performer in each group directly receiving the opportunity to study the Holy King's Golden Book.

Once the group list was released, all the major casinos immediately opened betting odds and began accepting bets.

The odds for the originally top favorite, Little Lu Sword Immortal, have dropped to second place, while the sixth-ranked Buddhist disciple of Vajra Temple has overtaken him to take first place.

Two reasons.

More detailed news came from the Western Regions: it turned out that Kumarajiva had mastered the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, which allowed the Dharma Kings of the temple to put aside their differences and unanimously vote to make Kumarajiva the youngest Buddhist disciple in the Vajra Temple in three hundred years.

The Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill is a martial art jointly collected by Shaolin and Vajra Temples. It may have originated from the same source, but later went down two completely different paths.

At Shaolin Temple, it can only be ranked among the top seventy-two unique skills.

In the Vajra Temple, the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill is the supreme martial art, indestructible and invincible.

Not only is his combat power unparalleled, but it also means that once he enters the True Person Realm, he will condense an indestructible golden body.

Throughout history, Buddhism has produced so many Dharma bodies, and its potential to create an indestructible golden body can rank among the top five.

The other is group relationships.

Lu Li's opponents in the same group are Blood Hand Gan Xiao, ranked tenth on the Human Ranking, Lu Yezhuo, ranked fifteenth, and Duan Ci of Zhenwu Temple, who is not ranked.

Based on the rankings, the twelve individuals were ultimately divided into four tiers.

This group is practically the strongest group of death that can be ranked.

It's hard to believe there wasn't something fishy going on with such a result.

Of the three top-tier contestants, Gan Xiao ranked fifth and was assigned to Lu Li's group as one of the strongest in the second tier.

Lu Yezhuo is the strongest among the three levels.

Duan Ci didn't even have a ranking on the list of people, so according to the rules, he became the last of the four tiers.

But who doesn't know that this person's true strength is enough to rank him among the top ten on the human ranking list?

Everyone believed that Duan Ci was a secret trump card secretly cultivated by Zhenwu Temple, and they were thinking of making a name for themselves in a similar situation.

The tournament format is a two-on-one battle where the winner advances.

This means that Lu Li will have to go through two intense competitions to stand out from the group.

The internal energy consumption and risk of injury are much greater than in other groups.

The combination of one increase and one decrease resulted in the odds of Lu Li and Jiu Mo Luo switching places.

With the finals just around the corner, the excitement has reached unprecedented heights. In every teahouse and restaurant, storytellers have changed their content and launched a grand martial arts competition.

The twelve individuals discussed their martial arts skills, past achievements, and relationships of restraint with great enthusiasm.

After hearing it so many times, even a layman can chime in with a few words.

In terms of popularity, this is probably the highest it has been in recent years.

Meanwhile, the spot to attend the final of the competition was fiercely contested among high-ranking officials and dignitaries, becoming extremely sought after.

If one is not qualified to enter Zhanghua Terrace that day, how can one be considered a noble of the Great Chu?